Course title

Readings on Western Translation Theories

Instructor

Li, Yanglong

Instructor’s profile

Professor, Department of Translation Studies, School of Foreign Languages, BUAA.

PhD. in English Language and Literature (Tsinghua University); MA in TESL (Western Michigan University); BA in English Language and Literature (Sichuan International Studies University)

Course goals

The course, Readings on Western Translation Theories, is designed for MA students of Foreign Languages and Literature. It aims to familiarize the students with the general western translation theories, leading figures and their masterpieces; schools of translation theories and their contributions, and development treads in translation studies. The students are expected to familiarize the western translation theories in general, and to study in depth one or two books, or the works of one of translation theorists in particular, in order to build up the students’ theoretical knowledge in the field and develop their research power in the future academic work.

Topics

The Name and Nature of Translation Studies; The Nature and Role of Norms in Translation; Science of translation; The Task of the Translator; Chinese and Western Thinking on Translation; Major Types of Translation; Descriptive Framework for Compensation; Translation and Original Similarities and Dissimilarities; Linguistic Models and Methods in the Study of Translation; Skopos and Commission in Translational Action; Translation shifts; The Position of Translated Literature within the Literary Polysystem; Corpora in Translation Studies; Students' report on the self-reading books & Discussion.

Assessment

The course is assessed through a course paper which reports on his/her self-reading book assigned.

Reference books

1. BASSNETT, Susan. Translation Studies, Third edition. London & New York: Routledge. 2002.

2. DELISLE, Jean. Translation: an Interpretive Approach. Ottawa, England: University of Ottawa Press. 1988.

3. FAWCETT, Peter. Translation and Language, Linguistic Theories Explained. Manchester: St Jerome Publishing. 1997.

4. GENTZLER, Edwin. 2001. Contemporary Translation Theories. (Second Revised Edition) Clevedon: Multilingual Matters LTD.

5. LI, Yanglong. Readings on Western Translation Theories．Xi-an：World Publishing Corperation．2007．

NEWMARK, Peter. Approaches to Translation. Oxford: Pergamon. 1982.

NIDA, Eugene A. & TABER, Charles R. The Theory and Practice of Translation. Leiden: E. J. Brill. 1969 1974 1982．

NORD, Christiane. Translating as a Purposeful Activity, Functionalist Approaches Explained. Manchester: St. Jerome Publishing. 1997.

ROBINSON, Douglas. The Translator’s Turn. Baltimore & London: The Johns Hopkins University Press. 1991.

SAMUELSSON-BROWN, Geoffrey. A Practical Guide for Translators (Third Edition) Clevedon：Multilingual Matters Ltd. 1998.

SCHAFFNER, Christina (ed.)． Translation and Norms. Clevedon：Multilingual Matters Ltd. 1999.

SNELL-HORNBY, Mary. Translation Studies: An Integrated Approach. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company. 1988.

SORVALI, Iema. Translation Studies in a New Perspective. Frankfurt: Peter Lang. 1996.

VERMEER, Hans J. A Skopos theory of Translation: Some Arguments for and against. Heidelberg: TEXTconTEXT-Verlag. 1996.

WILSS, Wolfram. The Science of Translation: Problems and Methods. Tübingen: Gunter Narr. 1982.

Working language

English

Notes